Hopefully you have been enjoying our series this week on Costa Mesa remodeling. While most of it has been focused on kitchens, I thought it would be interesting to look at what works in other areas as well.
Of course, locally the two most expensive upgrades tend to be kitchens and baths, and it follows suit that you should invest your money their first if you are going to do any Costa Mesa remodeling trends that payoff when selling. Let’s look at what the national trends are according to Realtor magazine and Remodeling Magazine:
Fiberboard siding is one of the best investments in home based on recouping costs when selling.
National Trends (Top 5):
- Entry Door (Steel) replacement (102% cost recouped)
- Garage Door replacement (83.9% cost recouped)
- Fiberboard (Cement) Siding (80% cost recouped)
- Kitchen Remodel (Minor) (72.8% cost recouped)
- Deck Addition (72.8% cost recouped)
Obviously, some of those items look a little odd to us here in Southern California. I would agree that entry doors and garage doors certainly help with the appearance and important first impression of the home, but here with Costa Mesa real estate most people will focus on other areas.
Patio/Deck additions returned approximately 60% of cost in Costa Mesa
Here’s what our numbers look like in the Los Angeles area, which includes Costa Mesa (Top 5):
- Fiberboard (Cement) Siding (80% cost recouped)
- Window replacement (Vinyl) (72.6% cost recouped)
- (Fiberboard) Siding Replacement (72.4% cost recouped)
- Garage Door replacement (69.8% cost recouped)
- Major Kitchen Remodel (68.7% cost recouped)
Kitchens locally in Costa Mesa came in around the 10th best way to recoup an investment, although that is a bit misleading because we don’t have attics to convert to bedrooms or basements to convert to living/media rooms. Taking out those items, a kitchen would appear as the 5th or 6th best return on investment, and a bathroom around the 11th best investment (64.1% cost recouped).
A lot of these numbers are skewed, and when it comes down to it, you’ve got to live in your house, right? Doing kitchens and baths will never get you in trouble, just be sure to do them in a tasteful manner and not pick a wild color or something so personal no one would want it when it is time to sell the house.
I can’t tell you how many times I have been in home with buyers and they look at each other and say, “who would paint their room purple???”. Everything counts, believe me.
Sometimes you gotta build just for yourself 🙂Remember too that this data has been affected by the downturn in the market. Remodeling a kitchen or bath the right way might not get you a higher price on resale, but in today’s market it will get you the sale done a lot quicker.
Interested in Costa Mesa remodeling ideas that pay off? I would love to talk to you! Even if you just need a good contractor reference. I can be reached at
(714) 743-9882 or
E-mail me here to reach me.
